Durban Living Legend – Prof. Paulus Mzomuhle Zulu

Professor Paulos Muzomuhle Zulu has a passion for education, youth development and the promotion of black academia. In 1986 he started a post-graduate research internship as a training ground for African academics. He organised a Saturday School Programme and the University of Natal for Grades 10 to 12. Over a thousand learners went through the school each year, with the majority improving their matric grades against tough odds. As Pro-Vice Chancellor of Students, he instilled a culture of accountability, discipline and moral probity in the student leadership and governance. His Unit has developed a curriculum in leadership and governance for Amakhosi and currently twenty-two Amakhosi are studying for this certificate at UKZN.

Born on 28 July 1941 in Ixopo. A social scientist by training, Professor Paulus Zulu holds qualifications in diagnostic radiography and marketing management. He obtained his PhD from the then University of Natal, publishing extensively in the fields of politics and sociology, both nationally and internationally.

Since 1984, Zulu has written numerous chapters in books, including The Hefer Commission: An International Comparative Perspective issued in 2004 and Understanding the South African Political Culture published in 2012. In 2013, Zulu’s debut book, A Nation in Crisis: A Search for Morality, was released.

Apart from his academic writing, Zulu worked as a diagnostic researcher at King Edward VII Hospital and Ceza Hospital between 1965 and 1974. In 1986, he became a research assistant at the University of Natal, and later worked as a Human Resources Manager at Unilever.

Zulu served as research fellow and lecturer at the University of Zululand between 1982 and 1984, before working as senior research fellow and researcher at the University of Natal from 1985 to 1994. He then served as PRO Vice-Chancellor to students at the same institution, a role he fulfilled from 1995 until 2000.

Zulu has served as chairperson of various boards, including the SABC, Centre for Policy Studies and McCord Hospital, to name a few.

A member of the Board of the Human Sciences Research Council, Zulu has served as Director of the Maurice Webb Race Relations Unit at the University of KwaZulu-Natal since 2002. He has also been a member of the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences, Vatican City Rome, since 1994.

Most important awards

Membership on Boards

• Board Chairman: Mc Cords Hospital. Former Chairman of the Board of the South African Broadcasting Corporation (1996-1999).
• Board Member and Member of the Editorial Board: Human Sciences Research Council Of South Africa, (2010-2014). Trustee: Hexagon Trust (1988-).

Awards

• Rotary Club Durban Community Services Award (1995).
• Doctor Holmes Memorial Award for the Best Provincial Candidate in Medical Diagnostic Radiography (1965).
• South African Black Social Workers Award for Community Service (1989).